Leaving Your Business to Pursue Your Life

Starting a business is a crazy rollercoaster of excitement and new experiences. Let me tell you, it’s a pretty fantastic ride, but sometimes it’s not what you need in this season of your life. If you’re feeling like you need to make some changes, this is the blog post for you.

I’m here to tell you that you have options. I’m also here to tell you that your business doesn’t have to be your whole life. It can be a part of your life, like a puzzle piece that makes up the greater picture of who you are. But the minute you start to feel like your business is pulling you away from pursuing your true purpose and passion, it might be time to evaluate where you are at.

As someone who has officially stepped down from a business, I’m pretty much the expert on this topic. Do I have all my ish figured out? Lololol no. But there are a few things I have learned throughout this process that I think might be helpful for other entrepreneurs who find themselves questioning if business ownership is still right for them.

I realized that the business I helped build wasn’t where my passion or purpose met, and it was keeping me from pursuing the truth of my life. Let’s take a look at the lessons I’ve learned from stepping away from a business to pursue life.

You’re Allowed to Change Your Mind

So the business you were super passionate about just isn’t doing it for you anymore? Hold on… let me clear my throat… A-hem…

THAT’S OKAY.

If there is one thing I have learned from this whole process it is that each of us are multifaceted individuals, constantly changing and evolving and growing. Some of us may take a few minutes to realize what’s working and what’s not, and others may take months. We’re all different, so it’s only natural that we are each going to have a different decision-making process when it comes to making changes of the mind and heart.

One thing I will say is to be really, really sure that the decision you are making is the right one for you. Think on it. Journal on it. Sleep on it. Talk to your people about it. Weigh the pros and cons and make sure that you are fully confident in what you are doing. This allows you to leave the Regret Train at the station and continue moving on to bigger and better things. It also prevents wishy-washy “well, what if this” scenarios. The last thing anyone wants to see is you struggling to make something work that is simply causing your more stress than it is worth.

Long story short: you can change your mind, but make sure you weigh all of the benefits and risks to make the best decision for YOU.

Be Respectful

You know what sucks? Drama. Diva Syndrome. Disrespect. Yeah, you know what I’m talking about. We’ve all seen the posts on social media from various entrepreneurs who’ve needed a solid venting session, but took it too far and went full Kanye on their business partners, supporters, and friends.

Not cool guys. Not cool.

Listen, I get it. The process of leaving your business is stressful. It’s even frustrating sometimes. But that doesn’t mean you get to be an asshole to the people who have supported you and helped you when you needed them most.

It’s so much easier when you talk to your business partners and your supporters to let them know what’s going on. Be open and communicative, as well as receptive to their questions and concerns. Also, validate their feelings. Leaving a business is an emotional event for everyone; your team included. In short, be an adult.

If you feel like you’re getting overwhelmed or too emotional to stay level-headed, let them know. A simple, “I’m feeling overwhelmed with all of this right now. Can we pick this up later this afternoon or tomorrow? I feel like I’ll be better prepared to discuss XYZ once I’ve had some time to relax a bit.”

This is a reasonable request, and most people will honor it. Just make sure that if you say you’re going to be available to discuss it later that afternoon or the next day, that you actually are available. Don’t use this as an opportunity to fall off of the face of the earth.

Moral of the story: If you want to burn bridges, be a dick. If you don’t want to burn bridges, communicate openly and respectfully to your partners, team, and supporters.

Give Yourself Space

When you’re publically involved in a business in the social media space it’s kind of weird for your supporters when you suddenly aren’t around anymore. I can’t tell you how many Facebook, Slack or email messages I received when I was trying to figure out my exit strategy. I knew that being a coach and owner of a coaching business wasn’t working out for me, but I didn’t know how to tell people about it.

For me, the best thing I did for myself was disconnect as much as possible from apps and electronics. I took Facebook and FB Messenger off of my phone. I turned off Slack messages and only checked them when I felt calm enough to respond to anything. And I hardly ever went on my computer.

Even when I did see that I had messages, I often didn’t “check” them because Facebook is stupid and sends a read-report to whoever messaged you and honestly I didn’t want to deal with the whole “she saw my message but hasn’t responded to it” drama.

Because I am going to tell you something extremely valuable that I want you to remember for the rest of your life. Are you ready?

The only person you owe an explanation to is NO ONE. You are not obligated to tell every single person on the planet what is going on with you. You are allowed to keep everything and anything about yourself and your business to yourself. If you don’t have it all figured out yet, you don’t need to broadcast it.

Give yourself space to learn what works best for you, and never ever feel bad about being a hermit for as long as you need to be. Humans are social beings, but we are not meant to be social 24-7-365 every single second of every single day. Take as much time as you need and don’t feel bad about ignoring those Facebook messages.

However, with that being said, make sure you still communicate with your team and your business partners that you are taking some time off and need some mental space. They’re counting on you to keep them informed about what’s going on with the business, and it’s really just common courtesy.

Summing up: Make sure your team gets a heads up if you are going to go dark for a bit, but everyone else can go fly a kite. You do you, girl. Get your groove back.

Explore What Life Means to YOU

Living a fulfilled life means different things to different people. Maybe it’s pursuing a new career. Maybe it’s getting involved in your community. Maybe it’s trying a new hobby. Just do something that makes you happy. And if you don’t know what makes you happy, explore new things! Take a cooking class or see if there is an adult dodgeball league near you. I don’t know your life! Do what intrigues you!

Oh, and in case no one else has told you, you’re allowed to start new business ventures. Just because the one you are in right now isn’t doing it for you anymore doesn’t mean that you are never allowed ever again to give the whole entrepreneur thing another go. Like I said earlier, you’re allowed to change your mind because you are a multifaceted human with multiple interests and ideas. Just make sure you’re prepared to jump back into business ownership mentally, emotionally, AND financially.

It also doesn’t have to be one single thing that lights you up. You can have a DOZEN things that get you going. Whatever they are, do them to the max, and start pursuing LIFE. Experience new things like crazy so you’ll never run out of memories. THIS is what pursuing life is all about.

And Finally…

No regrets.

Do you hear me? I do not regret a single aspect of starting, building, or leaving this business.

Why?

Because I’m a grown-ass woman who takes responsibility for her actions. That’s why. Regret is just guilt manifested by refusing to take responsibility. And I will own the shit out of everything I did for and with this business.

Were there some crazy low days? Yes. But there were also days where I was on top of the world, and I will never trade those memories for anything. I still love everything about Shield Sisters; the mission, the offerings, the women supporting it.

I’ve learned so much about myself, about business ownership, and about friendship. And I will nev18er regret the knowledge and experiences given to me by that season of life.

So what will you do? Is it time to evaluate where you are at in your life and business? If the answer is yes, I highly recommend Embracing Your Inner Queen in 5. This course is going to help you get to the root of self-love and allow you to truly embrace your inner queen. And who could say no to that? Grab the course at the Pre-Sale price before it’s too late!

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